Thermocompressor



Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ingersoll-llami Company, Jersey City, N. J., a

corporation of New Jersey Application March 18, 1936, Serial No, 69,425

3 (cl. zen-95y This invention pertains to theme-compressors, and particularly-to a thermo-compressor of the ejector type adapted to cause thedisplacement of fluid media, the temperatures of which are considerably lower than that of the energizing agent for the compressor.

An object of the .invention is to increase the efliciency of the thermo-compressor by avoiding the extraction of heat from the energizing agent before the full kinetic effect thereof is attained. In the preferred embodiment of the invention this result is achieved by suitably insulating the nozzles from which the energizing agent is discharged, and thus preventing the cooling of the nozzles by contact'with the fluid medium -entering the casing of the compressor.

.In systems of refrigeration where steam ejectors, for example, are utilized to remove vapor of a refrigerant which is being treated in a vacuum to lower the temperature thereof, the vapor entersthe casing of the compressor at a much lower temperature than that of the energizing agent and tends to absorb heat from the parts of which the compressoris made. Thisvapor 5 must flow past the nozzles of the Ejector in close proximity thereto. be cooled to'a material extent and the energizing agent may lose considerable of its power before it is discharged from the said nozzles to force the'vapor through the delivery flue therefor. It is therefore important to prevent said agent from radiating any of its heat through the nozzles into the vapor surrounding them, and thus to save power andenable the energizing agent to act with undiminished energy when it mixes with the vapor and displaces same in the required direction. Also, if the cool vapor is permitted to come in contact with the heated nozzles, the formation of scale on these heated parts is highly probable. Hence, a further beneficial result derived by preventing such contact between the heated parts and the cool vapor is the elimination of scale and a prolongation of the life of these parts.

The drawing shows a longitudinal section or a theme-compressor constructed in accordance with this invention. v e a The thermo-compressor has a casing l with an inlet opening inthe bottom indicated at 2.

The outlet or discharge fine is shown at 3 projecting away from the inlet end of the casing.

The end of the casing. adjacent the inlet 2; is

made so that itis open when the casing is finished andat said end is a steam chest 4 connected to a steam supply pipe 5. This end of the cas- Therefore the nozzles may I ins is closed by a removable mounting plate 6 covered by the steam chest 4 and mounted in this plate are a number of nozzles I in line with the outlet flue 3.

Inpractlce the casing will be connected. to a 5 closed vessel or evaporator to which is admitted a liquid refrigerant to be cooled. The action of the steam issuing from the nozzles ,l is to create a vacuum in the evaporator.- Because of the vacuum some .of the liquid refrigerant is con- 10 verted into vapor, absorbing heat from the remaining refrigerant and thus chilling it. The vapors are extracted through the opening 2 and propelled by the steam through the flue or conduit 3 into a condenser where the mixture of 15 steam and vapor is liquefied- The vapor is always much cooler than the steam and as the nozzles 1 are directly in the line of flow of the vapor through the opening 2 into the flue 3 the vapor will always tend to extract heat from the 20 nozzles, thus cooling the steam and reducing the capacity and efliciency of the compressor. The vapor also passes close to the heated plate 6 from I which more heat from the steam may be radiated to the cool vapor. it is therefore desirable to 5 prevent such cooling of the nozzles l and the plate 6 so that the power of the steam will be expended only in forcing the vapor through the discharge conduit into the condenser.

The conduit or flue 3 is of the usual shape, 30 projecting at one end into the casing l-as shown at 8 and contractingtowards a portion of minimum diameter, beyond whichit flares somewhat to the place where it is coupled to the condenser.

In order to insulate the nozzles I and the plate as 6 a plate or facing of rigid heat-insulating material 9 is secured to the surface of theplate 6 on the side presented toward the flue 3 to prevent conduction of heat from the steam in the steam chest l'throughthe plate 6. Each of the nozzles 40 I is enveloped by a sleeve .10 also of rigid insulating material which may be fixed in the easing I, and preferably to the plate 9, in any suit able manner. In this instance the plate 9 has openingslarger thanjhe nozzle I through which 45 these nozzles project and these openings are threaded so that the ends of the sleeves III, which are also threaded, can be screwed into the openings and made fast. The sleeves are axially aligned with the nozzles, and the threaded en- 50 gagement acts to maintain this alignment. The sleeves Ill are preferably of such a diameter that a narrow space II will be formed between each sleeve and the nozzle surrounded thereby. Such a space provides a pocket of motionless vapor to which greatly aids in preventing the on heat from the heated parts to the insulating The nozzles of course are of the usual construction, but the covering sleeves II and the space I I prevent radiation of heat from the steam in the-nozzles and maintain the 'steam'at the required operating temperature until it leaves the discharge ends ofthe nomles-to mix witih the vapor and impel it through the dis charge conduit 3 to the condenser.-

By thisfconstructionit will be seen that. the

steam is prevented from radiating any of its heat into the vapor before the vapor is v outlet flue and the full power of the steam is reservedior the work of transmitting the vapor from the evaporator to the condenser" in w ch the steam and vapor are again reduced to a uld state.

By this'constniction the entering vapor does not absorb heat from the nozzle surracesor from the surface of the steam chest Plate C and therefore the volume of the vapor does not increase. Without such nozzle and plate crease and this in turn would mean that the thermo-compressor could cooler vapor.

n the vapor would be warmed and its volume would innot handle as much vapor by weight as would be possible with the I claim: v a.

1. In a thermd-compressor, a casing having an inlet and an outlet, one or more nozzles in line terial i'or'the nozzles, and a plate 01' like material mounted in the casing to shield a part thereo!, said covers being flxed to the plate to hold them in flxed position.

2, In a theme-compressor, a casing having nozzles to leave a narrow space. between each sleeve and the nozzle shielded thereby.

3. In athermo-compressor a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a mounting plate in said supplying steam to said nozzles, a plate of rigid heat insulating material fixed to shield the inside surface or said mounting plate and having threaded openings surrounding the nozzles, and insulating sleeves of like rigid material aligned with and v having threaded engagement with the said plate to maintain said axial alignment.

JOHN/ A. 'mcnsau.

v one or more nozzles supported by said plate and extending toward the outlet, means for surrounding the nozzles. and I with the outlet, heat insulating covers of rigid ma- 

